Founded by an experienced parent advocate, Speaking Up BC offers information, analysis, and personal reflection on exclusion, inclusion, and the structural barriers families often face.
Purpose
To build parent capacity through knowledge—especially about the duty to accommodate, inclusive education, and education law—so families can better understand their rights and recognise when those rights are being compromised or ignored.
Roles and responsibilities
- Public education: Through blog posts and curated resources, the site translates complex legal and procedural information into accessible guidance for families.
- Strategic framing: Speaking Up BC promotes the use of human rights frameworks, policy language, and documented precedent to challenge school exclusion and demand systemic reform.
- Community knowledge-sharing: Offers tools like sample letters and case summaries that help parents speak with clarity and confidence, without providing individual advice or case support.
Key activities
- Publishes detailed blog posts on topics such as the duty to accommodate, human rights in education, exclusionary discipline, and parent advocacy.
- Shares strategy resources such as draft letter templates, procedural insights, and curated tribunal case summaries to illustrate recurring patterns of discrimination.
- Develops series-based information campaigns, such as the “Duty to Accommodate” series, aimed at strengthening public understanding of education law and access rights.
Governance and structure
Speaking Up BC is a solo-run, volunteer-powered public education platform led by a parent with professional experience in legal advocacy. It does not offer direct services, legal advice, or personal case support, and operates independently of institutions, law firms, or nonprofit organisations.
Focus on equity and inclusion
Speaking Up BC centres students who are most often excluded—those who are neurodivergent, racialised, disabled, or otherwise marginalised within public education. Its goal is to equip families with the knowledge and language to recognise harm, demand access, and participate in transforming educational culture through a human rights lens.
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